Currently, angioplasty balloons are used to open calcified lesions in the wall of an artery. However, as an angioplasty balloon is inflated to expand the lesion in the vascular wall, the inflation pressure stores a tremendous amount of energy in the balloon until the calcified lesion breaks or cracks. That stored energy is then released and may stress and injure the wall of the blood vessel.
Electrohydraulic lithotripsy has been typically used for breaking calcified deposits or “stones” in the urinary or biliary track. Lithotripsy may similarly be useful for breaking calcified plaques in the wall of a vascular structure. Shock waves generated by lithotripsy electrodes may be used to controllably fracture a calcified lesion to help prevent sudden stress and injury to the vessel or valve wall when it is dilated using a balloon. For example, a balloon may be placed adjacent leaflets of a valve to be treated and inflated with a liquid. Within the balloon is an electrode shock wave generator that produces shock waves that propagate through the liquid and impinge upon the valve. The impinging shock waves soften, break, and/or loosen the calcified regions for removal or displacement to open the valve or enlarge the valve opening. Additional improved lithotripsy or balloon shock wave catheters that can readily access and treat various locations in the vasculature for angioplasty and/or valvuloplasty procedures may be desirable.
However, due to its electrodes having a larger diameter than at least some of the catheter body, a balloon shock wave catheter may have difficulty passing through small openings in a stenosis, and may “catch” or hang up on tissue. A balloon shock wave catheter may also suffer from kinking as it navigates through tissue. Thus, there is a need to create an improved balloon shock wave catheter.